In part two of his survey of the food policy areas to watch worldwide in 2017, just-food's contributing editor Ben Cooper runs the rule over the likely developments in Latin America, Asia and Australia this year.

Following the seismic political shocks of 2016, the food sector has much to ponder as the new year gets underway. just-food contributing editor Ben Cooper sets out the food policy areas to watch in the UK, the EU and the US in 2017.

The global food industry believes international trade could become more restricted under Donald Trump as the property magnate-turned-politician prepares to be sworn in as US President later today (20 January).

In an uncertain business environment, with executives watching closely how the incoming President Trump could affect areas from regulations to trade, how the UK's Brexit talks could unfold and how major European economies will vote in a series of elections in 2017, where are the opportunities for M&A in the international food sector this year? Dean Best reports.

The global food industry will continue to double-down on cutting operating costs during 2017 in the face of rising input expenses and an increasingly challenging pricing environment, according to the results of just-food's annual Confidence Survey. However, when we asked our readers what they expect 2017 to hold at the end of last year, it was not all doom and gloom.

In November and December, we ran our annual Confidence Survey to see how our international food industry readership saw 2017 unfolding. Here we present the results of the section of the survey that looked at international investment, emerging markets, M&A, innovation and competition.

Concerns about the potential impact on the UK's food industry in 2017 over the impending "divorce" from the EU are looming large for suppliers, retailers and consumers alike. The formal two-year round of Brexit talks aimed at shaping future UK-EU relations, including in areas such as import and exports of food products, are scheduled to start in March. The UK government is under fire for being too secretive about what the post-Brexit trading environment with EU nations will look like. However, food industry analysts say consumers will expect to see exactly the opposite approach from manufacturers, with shoppers favouring products that demonstrate transparency and clearer origin labelling. Healthy and better-for-you brands are also expected to continue doing well in 2017, together with a continuing trend towards free-from foods. Younger consumers, in particular, are expected to drive these and other trends forward. John Shepherd reports.

A seismic shift in the US consumer landscape has redefined the country's food market in recent years, challenging so-called Big Food and making it harder for legacy brands to grow sales. Trends that gained steam in the US during 2016 include the rise of the "clean label", a growing awareness of GMOs, increased concern over sugar consumption and rising demand for free-from products. These will remain influential factors in 2017 but here just-food takes a look at some of the other emerging consumer trends that are set to shape the food US food sector over the coming 12 months and beyond.

Foodservice is rapidly becoming a global industry, and operators and manufacturers need to be aware of, and stay ahead of, big trends to be able to fully capture the growth opportunities available. David Henkes, advisory group senior principal at US foodservice consultants Technomic, outlines eight trends he expects to see across the foodservice market in 2017.

In his latest column for just-food, Keith Anderson, vice president of strategy and insights at e-commerce analytics firm Profitero, outlines what food companies interested in growing online must consider in 2017.